Friends
Committee on Washington State |
LEGISLATIVE ALERT
February 10, 2001
Dear Friends,
In our first Alert for the 2001 session of the Washington State Legislature, we'd like to focus on criminal justice concerns. We'll be touching
on other areas of interest in future alerts.
DRUG TREATMENT RATHER THAN INCARCERATION.
The passage of California's Proposition 36 mandating treatment rather than incarceration for most nonviolent drug offenders charged
with simple possession has created great interest in what might be done here this year.
SB 5419 has been introduced in the Senate by Julia Patterson with several cosponsors, and
HB 1722
has been introduced in the House by Mary Lou Dickerson and cosponsors, both
providing for treatment rather than incarceration for simple drug possession. The senate bill also eliminates triple scoring for prior drug
offenses, as does HB 1863, and lowers the sentences for drug delivery from Level VIII to Level VI, while HB 1863 and a draft bill prepared by King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng lowers delivery to only Level VII, and excludes methamphetamine. Maleng is responding to the threat
of a Washington initiative and to the King County Bar Association, which is recommending a much stronger treatment package that would
also apply to existing prisoners, and the threat of a possible Washington initiative. Maleng's bill, which has been endorsed in basic
principle by the Sentencing Guidelines Commission, doesn't mandate treatment, but instead leaves it up to local jurisdictions, and like SB 5419 provides that savings in prison costs will be used for treatment programs.
What all of this means is that there is a real opportunity for lowering the sentences of drug offenders, and for providing more effective and
humane dispositions based on treatment rather than imprisonment. How significant the reductions and how substantial the treatment
alternatives will depend on how much pressure legislators feel from the public.
Those who believe substantial change is needed should contact their own legislators as well as those serving on the key committees,
which at this point are the House Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee. Rep. Dickerson's bill
HB 1722, the first to come to hearing, is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 16 at 8 am in the House Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee,
HHR E. Sen. Patterson's bill, SB 5419, along with Norm Maleng's substitute, are apparently scheduled for hearing before the Senate
Judiciary Committee on Monday, Feb. 19 at 10 am, SHR 1. The names of the committee members as well as copies of the bills are
available on the legislature's website, http://www.leg.wa.gov
Legislators' email addresses are the first eight letters of their last name followed by
a single underline, then the first two letters of their first name, then @leg.wa.gov. For example, Julia Patterson would be
[email protected].
We recommend that Friends urge legislators to support a bill (1) that provides for treatment in lieu of confinement for any offender who is
found to have a chemical dependency that has contributed to a minor, nonviolent drug offense, including minor delivery and including those
currently confined in jail or prison, (2) that provides the same treatment opportunity for eligible drug offenders across the state, rather than
making treatment discretionary with each local jurisdiction, (3) that reduces the seriousness level of drug delivery back down from Level VIII
to its original Level VI, eliminates triple-scoring, and reduces the range of confinement for existing prisoners as well as future
offenders, providing very substantial cost savings, (4) that dedicates saved prison costs to treatment programs, and (5) that provides for
deferred prosecution for any eligible drug offender who participates in treatment. These are the same points recommended by the King
County Bar Association and represent the most substantial proposal for effective treatment and savings in prison costs. For those who feel
strongly about the need for reforming our drug laws, this is an excellent time to act.
Death Penalty Study and Moratorium. Two bills have been introduced which would create a task force to review the application of the death
penalty in Washington State, HB 1647 which includes a two-year moratorium on executions, and
HB 1648,
which provides only a study. Both are sponsored by Rep. Ed Murray along with several cosponsors, and are set for hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 13 in the House Judiciary
Committee at 1:30 pm, HHR B. Despite similar action by other states, these bills, particularly the moratorium bill, will need all the help they
can get from interested supporters. Members of the Judiciary committee are Rep. Mike Carrell, Patricia Lantz, Chris Hurst, Kathy Lambert,
Marc Boldt, Sarah Casada, Mary Lou Dickerson, Luke Esser, John Lovick, and Joe McDermott.
Death penalty survivor Sonia Jacobs will be speaking in Seattle on Feb. 20, Olympia on Feb. 21 and Tacoma on Feb. 22. Contact WAC at
206-625-9790 for details.
Lengthening Prison Terms. A comprehensive review of all prison terms is now underway by the Sentencing Guidelines Commission and
its working groups pursuant to the bill drafted by FCWPP which we successfully lobbied through the legislature last
session. Nevertheless, a number of bills have been introduced this session which would have the effect of further lengthening prison terms and increasing prison
populations at the expense of other needed public programs, including social services, treatment and rehabilitation.
We need to strongly urge our legislators to resist the lengthening of criminal sentences this session, in deference to the overall review of
proportionality and cost-effectiveness being undertaken by the commission, and the many other critical demands on our public funds.
FCWPP has itself sent an appeal to key legislators on this issue. We urge individual Friends to also encourage legislators to hold the line
on further lengthening of sentences, particularly when adding prison costs under present budget constraints will take funds away from
essential social services to the neediest and most vulnerable members of our society.
We would appreciate it if you would send a blind copy of your emails or other correspondence with legislators to
[email protected], or to:
FCWPP
PO Box 1222
Walla Walla, WA 99362.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.